Local Jobs for America

The House of Representatives, which returns from its summer recess today, and the Senate, which returned Monday, really only has one legislative priority it should be focused on before members return to the campaign trail: Treat the jobs emergency as the emergency that it is, and enact the legislation that will get unemployed Americans back to work quickly. more »

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Before I start this post, let's look at the actual situation. The economy is terrible, people are really hurting, they have been holding out and are starting to drop off the map. There are signs that with the stimulus fading things are starting to turn back down. But compared to what?

The overall jobs picture: more »

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In the news today, a familiar story: imports increased, exports declined. About $50 billion in one month alone. The trade gap isn't just costing jobs, it's a significant factor in the slow recovery as well. See below. more »

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The economy is stuck. We need jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. Not tax cuts.

The government released the July Employment Situation Summary and it isn't great. more »

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Two reports released in the past 24 hours paint a dire picture of the consequences of congressional inaction on jobs. In just two sectors of the economy, local government and low-income people in welfare-to-work programs, more than 500,000 jobs could be lost in the coming months if Congress continues to by stymied by right-wing obstruction of jobs spending. more »

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The Constitution of the United States, Article II, Section 3: "He may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them..." more »

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Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, what will you say to Jeff Sumner of Louisville when the lights go out in his house at the end of this week? How proud will you be of your votes against extending unemployment insurance to him and millions of other workers?

Sumner is one of the more than 2 million people who have lost their unemployment benefits because of a weeks-old Senate filibuster against their extension led by McConnell, the chamber's minority leader. If the Senate does not break that filibuster this week, Sumner, who lost his extended unemployment benefits when Republicans blocked their continued authorization in early June, loses the utilities in his house. Shortly after that, he told me Friday for this audio report, he will lose his house. He will be homeless.

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I just talked to an old friend yesterday and got bad news. He was another person laid off in the 2000 crash, in his late 40s at the time, so he hasn't been able to get anything since then except the odd short-term contracting gig. Certainly not anything that provided health insurance. more »

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The country is in an economic emergency. Unemployment -- especially long-term unemployment -- is at extremely high levels and the recovery is faltering. Conservatives are obstructing efforts to solve this because they believe it helps them in the November election. more »

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